


A Pair of Aces

by Celosia



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Cardverse, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-30 01:55:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20806604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celosia/pseuds/Celosia
Summary: Allistor, the Ace of Spades, is sent to the Diamond Kingdom on a diplomatic mission to discuss the rising tensions between the Spades and Clubs Kingdoms and to request aid in the event of a war. What he finds there is more than he bargained for.





	A Pair of Aces

* * *

"Your Majesty, we’ve arrived at the Castle of Diamonds!"

Allistor jolted awake as the carriage jerked to a stop. Drearily rubbing his eyes and wiping the thin sliver of drool from the corner of his lips, he pulled the curtain aside and squinted out at the setting sun shimmering behind the other side of the castle.

It had been a long, tiring journey, but now his work was only just about to begin.

The redhead sighed as the door to the carriage opened and he stepped out, making his way towards the castle. _ How my brother ever managed to convince me to take this job is beyond me… The brat always did have a way at weaseling his way out of any boring diplomatic work and passing it off onto me… Not that the work isn’t important, but still… _

“Cheer up, Alli!” Dylan sang beside him, folding his arms behind his head as they were led through the expansive stone archways that surrounded the castle by one of the Diamond Knights. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a chance to get out of the Spades Kingdom. We should enjoy it. Don’t be so stiff!”

Allistor deadpanned as he glanced over at his younger brother who held the rank of Ten of Spades. “Dylan… We are here on a diplomatic mission. We neither have the time nor luxury to _ enjoy ourselves. _ With the tensions that are beginning to arise--”

“I know, I know, but things are _ always _ tense between our king and the King of Clubs. This isn’t new news. Things get tense, then they eventually end up fizzling out again before the threat of war even begins to be a possibility,” Dylan stated, waving his hand in front of his older brother’s face, which merely prompted the redhead to swat the hand away with a half-growl.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Allistor glanced away, scowling at the ground. _ Dylan, I wish you wouldn’t be so naive… Just because things have been fine up until now, doesn’t mean that they’ll stay that way. There’s always the chance that there will eventually end up being the straw that broke the camel’s back...and by that time, I loathe to see what the following catastrophe will be like… _

A sigh fell from Dylan’s lips at Allistor’s stubborn silence, choosing instead to take up conversation with the knight that was guiding them through the castle’s courtyards and giving them a tour of the castle grounds.

For the most part, Allistor merely tuned out their chatter, taking in the surroundings and making a mental map of their route and any possible escape routes. However, it was when they were passing by a courtyard filled with a group of soldiers that Allistor’s attention was drawn elsewhere, his pace slowing to a stop while Dylan and the knight continued walking on obliviously.

The courtyard where Allistor had stopped was surrounded by a small group of laughing and cheering soldiers. And in the midst of them all was a pair of sparring figures, their shirts off and their skin slicked with the sweat of exertion.

For all intents and purposes, it was just a simple sparring match between the two blondes, but Allistor found himself unable to look away from the deft and precise movements of the shorter of the two men.

There was a certain magnetizing air about the man that left Allistor feeling drawn to him, from his soft features and curly locks, to the certainty behind each and every movement that he made, to the faint golden aura that seemed to make him glow. Each block, each punch, each kick… They were all executed with such a blinding grace and fluidity that the sparring session seemed to end all too quickly with the taller man sprawled on his back on the ground.

A round of cheers went up among the men.

“That has to be a new record!” one of them exclaimed as the taller male was helped off of the ground.

“I thought it looked like Lars nearly had him there for a moment!” another proclaimed.

“No way! There’s no one who can beat our Matthew! He’s probably even stronger than the king!”

The comments merely made the curly-haired blonde flush slightly in embarrassment. “I wouldn’t say that… It just takes practice. So maybe if all of you trained as much as you sit around and gossip…” Matthew raised an eyebrow as he toweled the sweat from his chest. “Who wants to go next?”

The question was followed by a chorus of groans from the surrounding men. Allistor watched with a raised eyebrow as they all shrugged and shuffled their feet in an attempt to look busy.

_ Matthew… _

Allistor watched the way that the blonde tensed up, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

When it seemed like no one was going to step forward, Allistor suddenly found his feet moving as if they had a will of their own. “I’ll do it.”

Violet eyes widened as they locked onto the redhead. A chorus of surprised murmurs rose from the men.

_ “What’s a Spadian doing here?” _

_ “Idiot, wasn’t there supposed to be some sort of meeting with the Spades Kingdom?” _

_ “I heard that the Spades are going to be going to war with the Clubs--” _

“That’s enough!” Matthew interrupted, glaring the men into obedient silence before returning his gaze to Allistor. The intensity of his gaze made Allistor’s heart pound against his ribs, his palms sweaty within his gloves. “Spadian, do you wish to spar?”

“Yes. I’ll take you up on your challenge,” Allistor stated, jutting his chin out with a grin. In all honesty, he didn’t expect to win, but he wanted an excuse to find out more about this man and why he seemed so familiar. It was only the icing on the cake that he could also use it to vent the built-up stress of travelling so far between kingdoms with no breaks.

Matthew's eyes widened imperceptibly with what seemed to be recognition. Though what he recognized, Allistor had no idea of. "Alright. Take up your stance then, and don't hold back," he stated, handing his towel off to one of the other soldiers.

A smirk tugged at Allistor's lips as he slid his long blue coat off and laid it across one of the nearby stone benches before stepping into the circle across from Matthew.

For several drawn out moments, the pair simply stared at each other, hearts hammering in tandem in their chests as they circled one another. It was Allistor who moved first, darting forward and attempting to hook his fist into the blonde's side.

For a split second, Allistor could've sworn that he would've gotten Matthew right in the ribs, but at the last moment, Matthew somehow managed to dance out of the way. Gripping onto Allistor's arm, he used the redhead's momentum to flip him over.

All of the air rushed from Allistor's lungs as his back slammed into the ground, leaving him momentarily winded. He managed to keep a grip on Matthew's arm though, using the grounding point to pull him off-balance as he tried to kick the blonde’s legs out from underneath him. Unfortunately for Allistor, it seemed like Matthew had already predicted that move, hopping over the redhead’s leg and trapping the opposing appendage between his calves.

Any attempt on Allistor’s part to get away merely resulted in him becoming an even more convincing interpretation of a human pretzel.

“Do you yield, Spadian?” Matthew asked, and Allistor could feel the other’s grip loosening.

The question made him raise an eyebrow as he looked up into those striking violet eyes. “Never.”

Matthew’s eyes widened as, in a blur of motion, Allistor managed to break free of the blonde’s grip and pin the Diamantian to the ground. A shocked silence permeated the air, and it was in those quiet moments that the pair became hyper aware of the other’s presence.

It felt like electricity was coursing through Allistor's veins. He could feel Matthew's heart beating against his hands, and there was something about his eyes…

“Oh la la~! What do we have here?”

The pair jolted out of their trance, their heads jerking towards the woman that was standing at the edge of the circle of soldiers next to the man that Matthew had just previously been sparring with.

“Matthew let the Spadian win,” the man grumbled, likely irritated at his own loss against the blonde. _ Lars _, Allistor was pretty sure he had heard was his name.

And it was in that moment that Allistor realized that the man’s words were true. Matthew _ had _ let him win their sparring match. He had felt the blonde deliberately relax his grip before Allistor had broken free. _ But why? _

_ You were too distracted… _

Allistor felt frozen in place. The voice that echoed in his head wasn’t his own. His gaze turned quickly to the male beneath him, but he seemed to be more focused on the woman than anything else.

“Was there something that you needed, Emma?” Matthew asked, raising an eyebrow.

A smirk tugged at her lips. “Your presence is being requested elsewhere. Also, Claude and Dylan wished for me to find the dear Spadian that was meant to have been with them, so I’m here to help escort Allistor to his brother so that their meeting can begin.”

Allistor was quick to stand up, dusting off his shirt and pants before stretching out a hand in an attempt to help Matthew off the ground. It was a futile offer, however, because the blonde was already off the ground and speaking to the woman in hushed tones. His heart fell in his chest as he watched the man saunter off towards the castle. The worst part of it was that he wasn't sure that he would ever see Matthew again.

Sighing, Allistor tugged his coat back on and heading over to where the amused woman stood, unable to keep the faint pink tinge of a blush off of his cheeks. At the very least, the other soldiers were dispersing, so Allistor could avoid any further humiliation and embarrassment.

"If you'll just follow me, Mr. Allistor," Emma stated with a curtsy before turning and heading down the pathway he had originally been following. A few moments of silence had passed before the blonde glanced over at him, that amused smirk still in place on her lips. "You fancy Matthew. I could tell by the way you were looking at him. I've seen that look on more than enough people's faces." She gave a small him, her nose scrunching up in contemplation. "Something about you is different though…"

Allistor raised an eyebrow, finding it difficult to hear over his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. "Is that so? Different how?"

At that, Emma's smile widened. "He's never let anyone win against him in a sparring match. Not even my brothers, or the king for that matter. Not that Francis is one to participate in any form of fighting, whether it’s training or not.” Her smile faded slightly at the mention of the king.

_ If the king truly refuses to help with the fighting if war breaks out, I’m not sure what’ll happen to the kingdoms… _Allistor chewed on his lip, letting out a despondent sigh.

_ ...I could always convince him… _

The redhead inhaled sharply, nearly tripping over his own feet at the whispering of the increasingly familiar voice.

Emma shot him a concerned glance, putting a hand on his elbow to help steady him. “Are you okay, Mr. Allistor?”

“...You didn’t hear the voice?” He already knew the answer before she said it.

“No? There’s no one else here besides us. Perhaps you’re merely fatigued from your journey, yes?” Emma said gently, patting his arm. “I’ll be sure that your rooms are prepared for you by the time that you’re done with your meeting with the king.”

He wasn’t convinced. Regardless, he just played along anyways. “Yes, perhaps…” he mumbled as she brought him into the lavishly decorated throne room where everything was decorated in gold and jewels. At the head of the room were three thrones with three figures seated upon them dressed in extravagant yellow-themed clothing. In front of them was a single familiar figure in blue.

“Brother! There you are!” Dylan exclaimed with a wave of his arm.

“I apologize for any...inconveniences--” Allistor started before being cut off by the figure sitting upon the middle throne.

King Francis.

“Nonsense, nonsense. There is no need to apologize. There are so many lovely sights in our castle that it simply can’t be helped that one would want to explore or end up being distracted by something that you see,” Francis stated with a wave of his hand, completely brushing the manner of tardiness to the side. “We were merely having a lovely chat with your dear brother Dylan as he serenaded us with his beautiful singing, and talking about _ l’amour _. Tell me, Allistor, do you believe in soulmates?” the King asked, leaning forward intently with steepled fingers.

The question caught Allistor off-guard.

“My brother sadly wouldn’t know true love even if it was engraved on a brick and hit him in the head,” Dylan stated dramatically, linking his arm through Allistor’s and hanging off of him until the redhead shrugged him off with a light growl.

The man sitting next to Francis, Vash the Jack of Diamonds, cleared his throat. “Can we please try to stay on subject tonight? We have many things to do.”

“Boo! You’re no fun…” Francis muttered before eventually sighing and gesturing towards the redhead. “Speak your case.”

Folding his hands behind his back, Allistor looked up at the three monarchs. “As you may have heard already, tensions have begun escalating between the Clubs Kingdom and the Spades Kingdom yet again. While all previous tensions had managed to be smoothed over, we fear that this time may end up being very different. Several of our supply lines have ended up being sabotaged by the Clubites, and we also have strong reason to suspect that the increase of bandit raids near our country’s borders are actually the direct result of members of the Clubs Kingdom themselves. There has yet to be any casualties so far, but we believe that it will only be a matter of time before they start murdering our people. And once that happens, there is no doubt that war will end up breaking out between our countries. That is why the Spades Kingdom is coming to ask for your assistance in the event that such a catastrophe becomes reality.”

“And why should my kingdom revoke its neutrality?” Francis asked flippantly. “We are neighbors to the Clubs. If we were to ally with your kingdom, then we would be forced to bear the brunt of their attack, and I will not risk my people dying for some silly little squabble that your king has with Ivan. You may leave now,” he stated with a wave of his hand.

The instant dismissal shocked Allistor, his tongue feeling like cotton in his mouth.

“Francis… Don’t be so quick,” the young woman next to him scolded gently, tapping his arm. _ Queen Lili… _“Surely it would be best to hear what our Ace has to say about the situation?”

A drawn-out sigh fell from Francis’s lips. “...Very well, my dear. If that is what you wish.” Blue eyes slid over Allistor to look behind him, the king’s gaze focusing on the person there. “What is your take on all of this?”

Soft footsteps approached, Allistor unable to resist turning towards the man that soon stood beside him, and he couldn’t stop his heart from leaping in his chest. _ Matthew. _ He should’ve been able to guess earlier from the way that Matthew had fought that he would’ve ended up being the Diamond’s Ace, but he had found himself far too distracted by the energy between them to put two and two together.

Matthew glanced over at Allistor with a small sheepish smile, and the redhead would’ve sworn that he could hear the echo of his voice inside his head again. And once Matthew began speaking, there was no doubt that it had indeed been the blonde’s voice that he had heard earlier. His only question was _ how _, when they had been no where near each other at the time.

Clearing his throat, Matthew gently readjusted his tie as he looked up at his king. “You worry about the possibility of war, of having to fight against the Clubs, of the threat of invasion… The problem that you don’t see, however, is that if they are already indeed sabotaging trade routes with the Spades and attacking them at their borders, then there’s the possibility that they’ve already been invading our kingdom,” Matthew reasoned, lifting his chin and making Francis flinch imperceptibly with his cool gaze. “Yes, it may be possible that they’re going through the Hearts Kingdom instead in order to get to the Spades, but considering the size of the military that the Hearts possess, that seems more unlikely. And if they’re that willing to violate our borders during a time of peace, then there would be nothing stopping them from taking up more violent measures once a _ war _ breaks out. They would use our kingdom as a stepping stone in order to fight against the Spades, draining our resources and murdering our people…”

Francis opened his mouth as if to object, but Matthew was already speaking again, and his question made the king pale.

“...Are you really willing to let your people die for nothing?”

A heavy silence filled the room before Francis eventually turned to Vash. “When you’re able to, will you check with our traders and see to it that property security protocols are put in place to make sure that none of our trade goods are stolen in the future? Find out the extent of any thievery that has occurred.”

“Yes, my King,” Vash stated, a hand over his chest as he stood up and gave a slight bow before Francis. “Come, sister. We will have much to do.”

“But brother, they look so cute together!” the Queen protested, making a flush rise to the Aces’ cheeks as they quickly looked away from each other. “And our guests have yet to have dinner after such a long journey. We can’t forget our hospitality!”

Vash merely sighed, dragging a hand down his face in exasperation. “Fine. But have Emma help you if you’re that stubborn about it!” he stated before exiting the throne room.

“Ah, yes, dinner! We cannot simply forget that!” Francis proclaimed, his spirits seeming to be instantly lifted as talk was drawn away from the serious matter at hand. “We’ll have to let our guests try the best wine that we have, and the braised ducks… _ Mon dieu _, there’s so much that they need to try while they’re here…” he stated, continuing to murmur various dinner plans with Lili.

“Excuse me, your Majesty--” Allistor started, only to be cut off as Matthew placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped forward.

“_ Francis _. I know you don’t like the thought of going to war, and I’m glad that you’ve taken up matters in regards to the trade routes, but I would think that the safety of our kingdom is more important than a few meals… If the reports from our Spadian friends are correct, and there are indeed being attacks on their villages by the Clubs Kingdom, then we need to know how and where they may be coming through our kingdom. And for all we know, the Clubs may even be enlisting people from our own border villages in order to plan for an all-out war--”

“Matthew, Matthew, Matthew. Our people are loyal to us, and they wouldn’t dare defect to another kingdom. You worry too much! It’ll give you wrinkles,” Francis stated, waving his hand in dismissal. “What we all need right now is food and a good wine. I could use a drink…”

The Ace deadpanned as he stared up at his King. “No, _ drinking _ will give you wrinkles and gray hair, and it’s starting to show.”

There was a moment of silence as horror crept across Francis’s features. Quickly clearing his throat, he stood up, quickly smoothing his clothing out. “Yes, well, if you indeed believe that checking on the villages would be the best course of action, I’ll let you accompany our guests there. I’ll leave the situation in your hands.” Clapping his hands together, he gestured to the knight that was standing off to the side. Allistor vaguely recognized the man as the one who had been escorting himself and Dylan through the castle. “Claude, if you would take Dylan to his room so he may freshen up before dinner. Matthew, you take care of Allistor. And then we’ll reconvene for dinner!”

Lili gave Matthew and Allistor a small wave as she stood up and linked an arm through Francis’s before leading the flustered king out of the room, offering the man soothing words. Dylan and Claude were quick to follow after them, leaving the Aces to themselves.

As the door swung closed with a resounding thud, Matthew finally let out a sigh, dragging his hand down his face. Turning towards Allistor, he offered the redhead a gentle smile that managed to make his stomach do little flips. “I’m...really sorry about all of that. Dealing with Francis and trying to make him do anything is like trying to reason with a child.”

“Yes, well, I can see now why Arthur weaseled his way out of coming himself…” Allistor mumbled tiredly, though for the time being he was too distracted by Matthew’s presence to truly bring himself to care. Perhaps he might even thank his brother whenever he saw him again. “...I didn’t think I’d see you again after earlier.” The statement was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “Though I understand now how you were able to beat me so easily, if you’re the Ace of this kingdom.”

Matthew merely smiled, holding back a chuckle. “Perhaps that’s part of it. But you were also too distracted,” he stated, gently poking Allistor’s nose as he walked past him.

Allistor blinked, frozen in place for a few seconds before turning and hurrying after the man. “You said that earlier. After we were sparring. I heard you in my head. How?” he asked as Matthew stopped outside the doorway of a vast library.

Looking over at Allistor, Matthew hummed, tilting his head. “What do you know about magic?”

The question caught the redhead off-guard, but he still answered regardless. “That it’s different for everyone and manifests itself in different forms. Even if there are multiple siblings born with magic, their magic abilities will each be different and unique.”

“They’ll have a different resonance, you mean,” Matthew corrected. “They’ll have a different wavelength.”

Allistor thought it over as Matthew led him through the towering shelves to one of the corners of the room. “Yes,” he conceded as he watched Matthew pluck a book from one of the shelves, raising an eyebrow as a hidden doorway opened from the wall. It revealed a long unlit hallway, where Allistor could just barely make out a faint pinprick of light at the end. “Every magic user’s wavelength is different,” he repeated, following after Matthew.

The blonde was silent for a few moments as they continued walking towards the end of the hallway. Their arms occasionally brushed against each other, causing small electric tingles to course through Allistor. It made his heart beat just a little bit faster.

“What if it was possible for two people to share a magic resonance?” Matthew asked quietly as they got closer to the light source.

Now Allistor could see that it was a small window that overlooked one of the sprawling gardens that decorated the palace grounds. The hallway itself seemed to be a deadend, which made Allistor raise an eyebrow. “..._ Is _ it even possible?” Allistor asked, turning to look at the half of Matthew’s face that he could see in the dim light.

Slipping off one of his gloves, Matthew pressed his hand against the stone wall. A faint golden glow emanated from his palm as the stones soon parted before them, leaving an opening big enough for them to walk out into the garden.

Instinctively, Allistor reached out and grasped Matthew’s bare hand as the blonde led him over to one of the nearby benches where they sat in silence for a few moments, watching the way the moonlight danced across the petals and leaves of the surrounding flowers. The way it glinted off the water of the fountain.

“Our kingdom has a story…” Matthew began, smoothing his thumb against the top of Allistor’s gloved hand. “About how magic is the heart and soul of the four kingdoms, and that’s why only the select few that are blessed with magic are destined to rule within the kingdoms…”

“...What does that have to do with two people who share a magic resonance?” Allistor asked quietly, though he was sure that he already knew the answer to his own question. After all, Francis’s question was still echoing in his ears.

Matthew’s smile was shy as he glanced over at Allistor. It was a drastic contrast to the look the blonde had on his face as he had unflinchingly stared down and reprimanded his own king. But Allistor found himself loving both.

“The story has a word for it… They’re called soulmates.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion fanfic that I wrote to go along with [THIS](https://celosia-starfall.tumblr.com/post/187877700304/a-pair-of-aces-this-is-for-the-weekofhetalia) picture that I drew for the Hetalia Extravaganza over on Tumblr. I hope everyone enjoys!


End file.
